Read the text and explain what happened after the radio broadcast of *The War of the Worlds*.

Mass hysteria and Welles' rise to stardom.

Write two sentences in the simple past using time expressions from the table.

Last night, I watched a science-fiction movie. / In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast *The War of the Worlds*.

Explain when the simple past is used and why time expressions are important.

Finished past actions + time expressions.

Libro de Uerakua Anapu Uantakua Projects And Readings 2 EGB

SEP/CONALITEG

41/171

Simple Past: time expressions and the War of the Worlds broadcast

📄 teoria ingles 🎓 secundaria · 2° Secundaria México 🇲🇽 MX 🗣 Español

Página 41

41 de 171

Anterior Página 41 / 171 Siguiente

Respuesta rápida

Mass hysteria and Welles' stardom. 2. yesterday / last Friday / 55 years ago / in 1947. 3. Last night, I watched a sci-fi movie. 4. Finished past actions + time expressions.

📚 theory ingles ⭐⭐ Dificultad 2/5 ⏱ 6 min lectura

Solución — Página 41

Uérakua anapu uantakua. Projects and Readings. Libro de Educación Secundaria Grado 2° Ciclo Escolar 2025 - 2026

Ejercicio 1

Read the text and answer: What were the consequences of the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds?

The text says the inhabitants of Grover's Mill fired at a water tank because they believed it was a Martian war machine.
A woman accused Welles and his team of causing her a panic attack, and a man received compensation for a pair of shoes.
Hospitals received calls from people willing to donate blood, which shows the mass hysteria.
The broadcast was not the end of Welles' career; it made him a star and RKO Pictures hired him to make Citizen Kane.

Respuesta

Mass hysteria (panic, false attacks, compensation claims, blood donations) and, paradoxically, the start of Welles' lifelong stardom.

Ejercicio 2

Complete the table with the correct time expression: yesterday, last Friday, 55 years ago, in 1947.

Yesterday refers to the day before today.
Last + day of the week/month/year refers to the most recent occurrence of a specific day, month or year.
Time units + ago indicates how far back in the past something happened.
In + year refers to a specific year in the past.

Respuesta

yesterday; last Friday; 55 years ago; in 1947.

Ejercicio 3

Write two sentences in the simple past using a time expression from the table.

Choose a time expression: last night.
Choose a past action: I watched a science-fiction movie.
Combine them: Last night, I watched a science-fiction movie about an alien invasion.
Second example: In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast The War of the Worlds.

Respuesta

Last night, I watched a science-fiction movie about an alien invasion. / In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast The War of the Worlds.

Ejercicio 4

Remember: a) The simple past is used for actions that happened and finished at a specific point in the past. b) Use time expressions to clarify when the action occurred.

Identify the past action: announced.
Identify the time expression: Yesterday.
The action is finished and located at a specific past moment.

Respuesta

The simple past locates finished actions in a specific past moment; time expressions make that moment clear.

Contenido de la página

Reading

The inhabitants of Grover's Mill fired their weapons at the city's water tank, convinced it had become a "huge Martian war machine." A woman accused Welles and his team of causing her a panic attack, while a man received compensation from Welles for a pair of shoes he claimed to have given up to buy a train ticket to flee the alien invasion. Hospitals received calls from people willing to donate blood to help, showing the extent of the mass hysteria.

Contrary to what some people thought, this polemic transmission was not the end of Welles' career, but the beginning of a legend that pushed him to lifelong stardom. On October 31, newspapers announced the radio transmission on the front page, along with more than twelve thousand articles published in newspapers throughout the country for several days. Orson Welles was immediately hired by RKO Pictures to make his first movie, Citizen Kane.

Grammar

Simple Past

While using the simple past, you can add expressions like yesterday, last night, or ten minutes ago to indicate that something happened at a specific point in the past. The most common expressions are listed below:

Time Expression	Explanation	Examples
yesterday	Refers to the day before today.	Yesterday, scientists announced the discovery of a new exoplanet.
last + day of the week/month/year	Refers to the most recent occurrence of a specific day of the week, month, or year.	Last Friday, I saw a meteor streaking across the night sky.
time units + ago	Used to indicate how far back in the past something happened.	The first moon landing happened 55 years ago.
in + year	Refers to a specific year in the past.	In 1947, a UFO sighting in Roswell, New Mexico, sparked widespread theories.

Remember:

a) The simple past tense is used when talking about actions that happened and finished at a specific point in the past.

b) Use time expressions to clarify when the action occurred.

Ejemplos resueltos

Write a sentence in the simple past using last Friday.

Time expression: last Friday.
Past action: I saw a meteor.
Sentence: Last Friday, I saw a meteor streaking across the night sky.

Write a sentence in the simple past using in 1947.

Time expression: in 1947.
Past action: a UFO sighting sparked theories.
Sentence: In 1947, a UFO sighting in Roswell, New Mexico, sparked widespread theories.

Tabla

Time Expression	Explanation	Examples
yesterday	Refers to the day before today.	Yesterday, scientists announced the discovery of a new exoplanet.
last + day of the week/month/year	Refers to the most recent occurrence of a specific day of the week, month, or year.	Last Friday, I saw a meteor streaking across the night sky.
time units + ago	Used to indicate how far back in the past something happened.	The first moon landing happened 55 years ago.
in + year	Refers to a specific year in the past.	In 1947, a UFO sighting in Roswell, New Mexico, sparked widespread theories.

Diagrama

timeline
    title The War of the Worlds broadcast
    1938 : Orson Welles broadcasts The War of the Worlds
    1938 : Mass hysteria in Grover's Mill
    October 31 : Newspapers announce the transmission
    1941 : Welles makes Citizen Kane

Glosario (8)

water tank: tanque de agua
war machine: máquina de guerra
panic attack: ataque de pánico
compensation: compensación, indemnización
flee: huir
mass hysteria: histeria colectiva
stardom: fama, estrellato
broadcast: transmisión, emitir

Preguntas para practicar

Why did the radio broadcast cause mass hysteria?

Because many listeners believed the fictional Martian invasion was real news. The realistic format of the broadcast and the lack of warnings made people panic, call hospitals and even fire at a water tank.

How did the broadcast affect Orson Welles' career?

It did not end his career; it made him famous. Newspapers published thousands of articles about the transmission and RKO Pictures hired him to make his first movie, *Citizen Kane*.

Temas y conceptos clave

Simple pastTime expressionsReading: The War of the Worlds broadcastsimple pasttime expressionsyesterdaylast + day/month/yeartime units + agoin + yearmass hysteriaOrson Welles

¿Te fue útil esta página?

Figuras de la página (2)

Ilustración de un hombre leyendo un periódico con expresión de sorpresa; el periódico muestra titulares sobre la invasión marciana. Firma: Luis Antonio Moreno Aguirre, Nayarit. — Figura 1 image

Pequeña ilustración de una ballena o criatura marina dentro de un recuadro azul. — Figura 2 image

Preguntas que la gente también hace

¿Cómo se usa el pasado simple en inglés?

Consulta la solución completa arriba o explora el libro entero para temas relacionados.

¿Qué expresiones de tiempo acompañan al pasado simple?

Consulta la solución completa arriba o explora el libro entero para temas relacionados.

¿Qué pasó con la transmisión de La guerra de los mundos de Orson Welles?

Consulta la solución completa arriba o explora el libro entero para temas relacionados.

📌 Antes de leer esto

• Reconocer verbos regulares e irregulares en pasado
• Identificar sujeto y verbo en una oración
• Vocabulario básico sobre ciencia ficción y medios de comunicación

Siguiente tema sugerido

Past continuous vs. simple past

📝 Transcripción de la página (texto seleccionable) 2201 caracteres

The inhabitants of Grover's Mill fired their weapons at the city's water tank,convinced it had become a"huge Martian war machine."A woman accused Welles and his team of causing her a panic attack,while a man received compensation from Welles for a pair of shoes he claimed to have given up to buy a train ticket to flee the alien invasion. Hospitals received calls from people willing to donate blood to help.showing the extent of the mass hysteria.

Contrary to what some people thought,this polemic transmission was not the end of Welles'career, but the beginning of a legend that pushed him to lifelong stardom.On October 31, newspapers announced the radio transmission on the front page,along with more than twelve thousand articles published in newspapers throughout the country for several days. Orson Welles was immediately hired by RKO Pictures to make his first movie, Citizen Kane.

Grammar

Simple Past

While using the simple past, you can add expressions like yesterday,last night, or ten minutes ago to indicate that something happened at a specific point in the past. The most common expressions are listed below:

Remember:

a) The simple past tense is used when talking about actions that happened and finished at a specific point in the past.

b) Use time expressions to clarify when the action occurred.

![](page=0,bbox=[651, 194, 1083, 659])

![](page=0,bbox=[892, 808, 1061, 944])

Time Expression	Explanation	Examples
yesterday	Refers to the day before today.	Yesterday, scientists announced the discovery of a new exoplanet.
last + day of the week/month/ year	Refers to the most recent occurrence of a specific day of the week, month, or yean	Last Friday,I saw a meteor streaking across the night sky.
fime units +ago	Used to indicate how far back in the past something happened.	The finst moon landing happened 55 years ago.
in+ year	Refens to a specific year in the past.	In 1947, a UF0 sighting in Roswell, New Mexico, spanked widespread theories.